For the Love of Home

Have you ever gone to the theater to watch a spy movie, then when you come out of the movie, you find yourself driving home a little more dramatic than usual?  You check your rear view mirror often to insure no criminals are following you and your family home.  You change lanes more often than necessary and drive a little too fast for your wife's comfort.  I love the way certain things can transport us to a grander reality.  Sometimes it's a spy movie,  a TV show, or even an item around your house. 

Thanks to Emily, I have a renewed appreciation for our home.  One of my Christmas wishes this year was the Nate Berkus book from Target.  As I was reading the stories of others loving their lives, and living much like us at the House of Brockman, I was starting to have that flutter in my stomach.  I love our home.  I love when you first move into a new space and you almost have that child-like love, like a school girl crush.  You have dreams like, "I'm going to completely re-do the kitchen," or "I'm going to refinish the wood floors," or "I'm going to put in a slide from my bedroom right down to the kitchen so I'll never have to take the stairs again!" (That was my dream as a child.)  The renewed love is also exciting to me.  The "Wow, I'm grateful." or the "I forgot I had that!"  

Inspiration is all around us, speaking to us, but it's up to us to listen.  Why is that painting of the birch trees speaking to you?  Why are you still thinking about that gold mirror you saw last week?  There is a common saying that goes, "If walls could talk..."  I'd like to dive deeper into that saying.  If your walls could talk, what would they say?  Would they speak about you and your family?  Or would your walls speak about you like a stranger they hardly knew? 

What we put in our rooms should reflect us, almost as if guests could say, "Yep, this is you" as soon as they walk through the front door.  How lovely would if be to live in your home filled not only with things you have to live with, but also with pieces of you and your family's memories, jokes, and a love for your home and all that is in it.

In Nate Berkus' new book, "The Things That Matter," he shares his story, and also the stories of how he helped his close friends find the things that matter in their homes.  It is definitely a must read to help discover your style and rediscover your home.